men and body image

[y=mx+b]

I don't fret so much over my appearance... but I don't like the obvious to be pointed out.

I find that for whatever reason woman tend to believe that it's okay to pick on a man because he has too much or too little weight... or that he is "going a bit thin on the top" ...we know these kindsa things.

 

[MechaBlade]

maybe men are less likely to class them as flaws?
so, when they find what they class as a flaw it's a bigger deal?

I think men just don't care about little things.

 

[bill-pix-trade]

inspired by LT's whinging & whining in the women's thread...

in modern society are men just as stressed about their appearance as women are?

my sis' bf has fat days, uses her moisturiser and gets upset about zits. is this the reality, that men keep hidden?

do you hide your insecurities because once in a group men will mock these kinds of feelings?

do you feel intimidated by the better looking guys? see a beautiful woman, but not talk to her in case you don't measure up?

I'll talk to any one. The question is do they want to talk back.

 

[RazorSplitClit]

I care a lot about my appearance. Maybe more than the average female.

 

[Igor_1066]

I'm not good with weight, how heavy or light is 135lb? It sounds.. well.. a bit too light, no?

We use weight as a numerical proxy for a subjective judgment about whether a person has too much body fat because it is easy to measure, and because the fact that it is a single number makes it easy for even the stupidist to assimilate. And actually, it serve the purpose fairly well. As I lose weight, I find that I can inventory the areas of fat remaining, and guess as to what they weight, and I may well want to go below 135 lbs. Remember that I'm shooting for optimal health, which has no relationship to the vast majority of people that one sees on the street.

Another measure that is a better one, but is more difficult to measure, is percent body fat. There are meters sold which measure it, and it can also be measured by the displacement of water. The water displacement method is expensive for each measurement, so it is not useful for continual tracking, at least not for me. I plan to buy an Omron HBF306BL when I hit the top of the normal range (118-159) for my height (5' 7"), and start tracking my percent of body fat. There's little point right now, it would come in at close to 40%. Also, I'm saving that purchase as a reward to myself for hitting the mark.

I'm not really sure where I want to end up on the body fat percentage chart, but 12%-13% are generous numbers on the high side. I'll see how pleased I am with my looks when I get there. Right now it is all good. I still have several rolls of fat, and I certainly would NOT want to go to say, a public beach, but the improvement pleases even me.

 

[shyly curious]

.....

 

[mitchell67]

re: from the mouth of a babe

actually, i don't agree at all.

i think men see attractiveness in far more women than women see in men.
they don't pick out stretch marks or broken nails, they notice nice curves.
they are quicker to see the assets than the flaws.

i was with the ex for over 6 years...and in all that time i don't think he even noticed i have stretch marks!
...but as a woman i saw his every flaw.

or am i wrong?

i think that we THINK men are evaluating us, when really they're admiring.

It only takes a bit of thoughtful, critical insight to remind me just how damned intelligent you really are.

 

[surferboy69]

inspired by LT's whinging & whining in the women's thread...

in modern society are men just as stressed about their appearance as women are?yes

my sis' bf has fat days, uses her moisturiser and gets upset about zits. is this the reality, that men keep hidden?yes

do you hide your insecurities because once in a group men will mock these kinds of feelings?yes

do you feel intimidated by the better looking guys?no see a beautiful woman, but not talk to her in case you don't measure up?no

as for fat days, moisurizer and zit issues...you bro in law is a metrosexual...LOL

 

[cjh]

i think more men are aware of fashion and style, generally, than was once the case. and i don't think that, in general, is a bad thing. maybe clunky fbi-style wing tips will disappear.

we are a much more visual society than we were even 25 years ago. television and nearly unlimited channels on cable and satellite has helped spread that revolution beyond the east and west coasts into nebraska and alabama and idaho. presumably into sheffield and newcastle and like places globally, too. and women are more likely to be financially independent than ever before. so maybe for the first time men are regularly held up to the same standards of physical grace as women traditionally have been. and for the first time, men obsessing about appearance is common.

personally, i obsess less than when i was young. i worked in clothing stores to help pay for my education, and then i entered a profession where looks, to a certain degree, counted.

now i'm just a curmudgeon, comfortable in my own skin.

 

[Holy Devil]

inspired by LT's whinging & whining in the women's thread...

in modern society are men just as stressed about their appearance as women are?

my sis' bf has fat days, uses her moisturiser and gets upset about zits. is this the reality, that men keep hidden?

do you hide your insecurities because once in a group men will mock these kinds of feelings?

do you feel intimidated by the better looking guys? see a beautiful woman, but not talk to her in case you don't measure up?

I don't bother with my looks. Sometimes I do not comb my hair for days. And the women still do not leave me alone. What am I to do?

 

[huskie]

even with my Dick-do disease I don't look to bad.....

 

[Ugod]

I used to worry about it, I was on a streak where it seemed that women were only ever interested in the tiny little metrosexual boys who could come up with compliments about whatever brand of purse they were accessorizing with. I finally figured out that it was just my social scene, there are plenty of girls who like big men too and are willing to ignore my lack of style. Now I can lift more and run less and not worry too badly about it, and its actually fun being the giant in the room.

To take your question more directly, yeah, I think men are a little more worried about their body image, or maybe its just age that makes most people worry less....Maybe its just that society makes it more accessible for a man to say "Omg! Lyke...my hair...its soooo flat....I need to go find some volumizer".

 

[Ugod]

I think men just don't care about little things.

Agreed, keep it simple. Men look for the overall package. As long as you have a solid body, you women need to chill out with the "Oh shit, I've got a wrinkle underneath my left knee" type of worries. I look for brains, humor, generosity, and as long as she's got some basic curves and a smile to boot, I fall in love